Kerry Washington, Actress and Activist

Hill Harper, Actor and Author

2/29

“Wow! The Obama presidency will be transformative in ways that people haven’t imagined yet. As I travel this country, young men tell me that they want to be a rapper or a ballplayer, and I gaurantee you that within six months, after seeing him day after day, they will tell you they want to be Barack Obama.”

Tracee Ellis Ross, Actress

3/29

“This inauguration is one of those moments where you feel you can be a part of history. We can stand with our fellow Americans and all have the same pride and the same humility and the same sense of possibility. This makes me feel a part of America in a way that I haven’t in my entire life. Right now, I feel so proud to be an American.”

Anthony Hamilton, Singer

5/29

“I’m gonna try to miss my flight [out of D.C] on purpose," quips Hamilton, who was in town for his performance at The BET Honors on Saturday. Unfortunately, he couldn’t find accommodations through Tuesday. Though he wouldn’t be around for the rest of the inauguration festivities, the Charlotte, North Carolina, native adds, “I’ll be a few miles away [for inauguration] but I’ll be cheering.”

Jamie Hector, Actor

7/29

“It was important for me to be here because of change, because of Barack Obama. I wasn’t able to be here for Martin Luther King, Jr., or the Million Man March. I just have to touch the soil. It’s emotional for me. It’s just something that I have to see with my own two eyes and be able to tell my future kids.”

Ne-Yo, Singer-Songwriter

8/29

“I think Michelle Obama is definitely leading the race as an independent woman. Did you see her speak [at the Democratic National Convention]? She had folks feeling like she could run for president if she felt like it. She’s the epitome of an independent woman.”

Lynn Whitfield, Actress

9/29

“There’s so many parties to go to this weekend, but Barack Obama’s inauguration is really about validation, an opportunity to get it right this time, and ushering this amazing family into the White House.”

Photo by Getty

Sylvia Rhone, President of Motown Records

10/29

“It means a dream come true, a dream fulfilled. It means peace and hope for everybody in the world."

Photo by Getty

Glynn Turman, Actor

11/29

“Besides being historic, his inauguration is personal. It proves me right in a prediction that I made many years ago that we would see a Black president in my lifetime. I always believed it would happen.”

James E. Clyburn, South Carolina Congressman

12/29

“This inauguration is a vindication. That’s the word I’ve been using since Election Day. I think for those of us who decided we would work within the system to do what we can for our children and grandchildren and for those of us who fought off the headwinds that were time and time again erected, Barack Obama in the White House vindicates the faith that we kept in this country.”

Wendell Pierce, Actor

13/29

“My father fought in World War II and came back to New Orleans and couldn’t vote. I have him here this weekend. Barack’s inauguration is an exhibition of Black courage. It’s about a man acting in the face of fear against the appearance of insurmountable odds to become the highest ranking legislator in the land. Barack exemplifies what we’ve always known in our community about us.”

Ruby Dee, Actress and Activist

17/29

“Listening to President-elect Obama’s acceptance speech, I was excited and encouraged by his call for a new spirit of service and responsibility. I believe this election offers us a wonderful opportunity to re-examine and renew our relationships, both to one another as human beings, and to our country as active citizens in this government ‘of the people, by the people, for the people.’”

Barbara Lee, California Congresswoman

18/29

“I feel excited and jubilant about the swearing in of our President-elect, Barack Obama. I also have a deep sense of gratitude for Martin Luther King, Jr., and all those who paved the way for this transformative moment.”

Photo by transvisiontricity.org

Tom Joyner, Radio Personality

19/29

“Not only did Barack run an excellent campaign, he ran an honest campaign. And even when a lot of us wanted him to get dirty, he continued to take the high road. I think we all can learn a lesson from that.”

Reverend Al Sharpton, Civil Rights Activist

Edwidge Danticat, Author

22/29

“It’s so hard to talk about him without sounding emotional and clichéd, but I’ll tell you I admire his intelligence, his persistence, his eloquence, how he appears so intellectually rigorous and curious.”

Martin Luther King III, Activist

25/29

“An aspect of my father’s dream has been fulfilled. He and many others gave their lives so we would have the right to vote. The real job now belongs to President Obama and his team. And all of us as Americans must participate to help President Obama become one of the greatest presidents in our country, and I do believe he’ll be one of the greatest we’ve ever had.”

Cory Booker, Mayor of Newark

26/29

“Obama in many ways is the first obvious representation of what will be more and more the standard of the next generation. So I’m in this wonderfully special place that, when I look behind me, I see heroes who made incredible sacrifices and evidenced a level of courage that inspires me every day. And I’m also at a point where I look at where I am now and I see Barack Obama standing on the shoulders of all those giants.”

Russell Simmons, Hip-hop Entrepreneur and Philanthropist

27/29

“He’s an inspiration and represents a shift of the world on the surface, but on the inside he’s the most progressive voice we’ve had run for president. We need that. I wanted to see this happen, and I’m glad to be a part of it. This gives me purpose.”